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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet. 1..

T. AfcooK, Dem.

A. CLOUGHLY, executor.

SBMERGED PEATEBRING PADDLB WHEEL No. 296,728. Patented Apr. l5, i884.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. f

T. A. 000K, Deod.

A. GLGUGHLY, executor.

SUBMBRGBD FBATHBRING PADDLE WHEEL.

No. 296,728. t sented Apr. 15, 1884.

HMH i si!!! l N PETERS. Pnuwumagnphar, washngwn. uc.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

T. A. COOK, Deod.

A. CLUUGHLY, executor,

SUBMERGED FEATHEBING PADDLE WHEEL Patented Apr. 15, 1884.

Unir-Ann y Srnrns PATENT Ormesi VALFRED CLOUGHLY, OF LONG BRANCH, NEW' JERSEY, EXECUTOR OF i TRUMAN A. COOK, DEOEASED.

SUBNIERGED FEATHERING PADDLEWHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,728, dated April 15, 18844 Application filed February 9, 1852. Renewed December' l, 1883. (No model.)

Tora/ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED Crooenrv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Branch, i n the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, administrator of the estate of Trentina A. Coon, deceased, late a citizen of the city or Washington, District of Columbia, (as by reference to the duly-certified copy of lettersof 'administration hereto annexed will more fully appcar,) submit the following specification of the invention of the said TRU- MAN A. COOK for Improvementsin Propellers, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in propellers for propelling boats andvessels upon open waters, rivers, and canals; and the objects of the improvements are, first, to provide a submerged propeller for marine propulsion,whereby to obtain greater speed than is derived from the present methods, with less cost of machinery and fuel, less weight of engine, and a propeller that will not wash the banks of canals 5 second, to provide certain combinations of parts, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. These objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section, showing the improved propeller, the train of gear which drives it, a crank to which the connecting-rod ,of the engine is attached, and a portion of the frame-work to which the moving parts are secured. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the propeller with the cap or cover removed, for the purpose of shoe-'ing the different positions of the propelling-blades during their revolution around the axis of the wheel. v Fig. 3 is a central vertical section, showing the main shaft of the propeller, the 4steps in which it rests, the pinion and gear wheels which drive the rotating or propelling blades, a chamber in which said wheels are placed, and a portion of an overhang-ing decl: to which the upper bearing of the main shaft is secured, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the propelling-wheel with the upper plates removed for the purpose of showing the gearing which drives the propelling-blades.

Similar letters referto similar parts throughout the several views.

This invention consists, primarily, in asubmerged vertical propeller placed at the stern of a vessel, between the stern and rudder posts, and in devices whereby the propelling-blades are compelled, by the revolution of the wheel and the resistance of the water, to change their angles successively and with certainty;l sc condarily, in the combination and arrangement of devices whereby the inner ends of theblades, which are those which are nearest to the main shaft, shall, during the revolution of the wheel, move with about one-half the speed and exert about one-half the propelling` force as the outer ends or greater radius, thereby rendering the Whole area of said blades available as propelling surfaces. The arrangement of the blades is such that they do not force the water continually in any one direction, or at any time in the direction opposite to that in which the vessel is moving, as is the case with the present methods of propulsion but when one blade arises at the angle of ninety degrees to the keel of the vessel, it then moves the water for a moment only in the opposite direction to that in which the vessel is moving; but the immediate and successive changes of the angles of the blades prevent the water from being moved in any one direction but for the moment. By preference the wheel is so placed that the center of two of its blades, when in line with the keel of the vessel, shall be directly over said keel, at which time they will standat an angle of about forty-five degrees to the keel, while the then starboard-blade will stand at an angle of ninety degrees thereto, and the larboard one parallel to it. During the revolutions of the wheel cach blade thereof attains all the angles of the preceding ones, but continuously change from the minimum to the maximum of angularity, and from the maximum to the minimum. Ordinary side-wheel vessels force the water back of and away from them at a ratio of speed of about twenty-five miles per hour in attaining a speed of twenty miles per hour; and screw-propellers used in ocean navigation force the water from them with still greater velocity to attain a speed of, say, fourteen miles per hour,

the slip,77 as it is termed, being about twoiifths of the velocity of its circumference. It is believed that the device shown and described in the present application will save a large percentage of the loss of power due to the slip of the present forms of propeller, the

current of water back of or laterally to the y vessel to which the wheel is applied, and that the greatest elevation of water will be at the center of the wheel, while the progress of the vessel will leave it to quietly find its level, which will be a great advantage when the wheel is used for propelling boats on canals, as it will effectually prevent the washing of the banks, caused by the present form of wheels, as the supply of water to the wheel will be at an angle of about forty-five degrees to the course of the boat or vessel, and the current of the water incident thereto will prevent to a great extent the bow-swells due to canal-boat propulsion. It will be observed that the preponderance of resistance on the outer or greater radius of the blades tends to propel the gear- Wheels, which drive them in the same direction that the rotation of the wheel does when not submerged. The blades revolve in a contrary direction to that of the wheel, and it requires two revolutions of said wheel to produce one of the blades.

In constructing a propelling-wheel of this type there is employed a main vertical shaft, A, which is provided with a bearing, A', in the keel, orit may be in aframe-work attached to the overhanging portion of the deck of the vessel, it being preferred, however, to have the weight of the wheel sustained mostly upon the overhanging portion of the deck.

To the shaft A there are secured two disks, B B, as shown in Figs. l and 3, between which the blades B2 revolve. This shaft passes up through the upper plate of the disk B, and through a portion of an overhanging deck, as shown in Fig. 3, or through a frame-work attached thereto, as shown in Fig. l. Then the deck is used as asupport for the upper end ofthe shaft, there is to be placed upon its upper end a disk supplied with a crank, to which the end of the connecting-rod of the engine is directly attached, the said disk having upon its under surface a hub or collar of such dimensions as to enable it to support the weight, or the greater portion thereof, of the propelling-wheel. lnstead, however, of propelling the wheel as above described, it may be propelledby atrain of gear-wheels, as illustrated in Fig. 1, in which case the lower end of its shaft will be stepped or journaled in a frame-work, as shown in Fig. 1.

Surrounding the shaft A, and within the upper chambcred disk, B, there is a gearwheel, C, within which the shaft revolves, said wheel being provided with a hub and collar for attaching it firmly to the overhanging deck C, as shown in Fig. 8, in order that said wheel may beV kept stationary, or prevented from having any rotative movement imparted to it, as a consequence of which it is made to unerringly determine the angles of the propeller-blades. The central wheel C, is to be one-half the diameter of the wheels G2, O3, C", and C5, which are iirmly secured to the upper ends of the hubs of the propelling-blades B2 B2, and must have one-half the number of teeth formed on the wheels O2, &c. Between the center-wheel, C, and those placed on the propelling-blades there are placed other gear-wheels, E, which mesh into the central wheel, andinto those upon the blades, which may be of the same diameter as those upon the blades, and have the same number of teeth, or they may be smaller and have a less number, according to the diameter of the propeller-wheel. The maximum number of propelling-blades that can be employed in this type of wheel is four, as no more than four intermediate wheels can be made to mesh into the central wheels, and as all of the wheels except the central one are required to be in radial lines, and are lequallydivided ares of their circles.

The disks between which the blades revolve may be of gun-metal, or of any other suitable material, the lower one being provided with large openings F, as shown in Fig. 2, for the free passage of water to the blades, the amount cut away not being sufficiently great to weaken the disk; and the plates composing the upper disk may be perforated with asufflcient number of holes to give free ingress of water to and egress from the chamber between them, said holes serving to admit and discharge the water without permitting the entrance of any substance that would clog, and thus interrupt the operation of the gearing. Theshafts upon which the blades are mounted are to be firmly secured to the lower disk, and their upper ends may be secured to the top plate of the upper disk. They do not rotate, but the blades revolve upon them, which arrangement gives a great amount of wearing-surface to said blades, and has the effect to keep them in p0- sition to insure a proper mesh of the wheels with the intermediate ones.

One important result growing out of this construction of propelling-wheels is that the continually-changing angles of the blades and the progress of the vessel cause said blades to be constantly carried forward and into comparatively undisturbed water, thus allowing them to exert their full force upon water in or nearly in a state of rest, the result of which will be the utilization of a larger percentage of the force exerted by the engine in propelling the vessel than can be realized by the present methods.

Having thus described the invention, whatis claimed., and for which Letters Patent is asked, 1s-

1. In a submerged wheel for propelling boa-ts or vessels, the combination of a central vertical shaft, A, aiiXed non-revolving gear-wheel, C, intermediate revolving wheels, E E E E, rotating propelling-blades B2, which revolve upon shafts D, -Xed on the disk of the wheel,

IOO

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gear-Wheels C", G3', C4, and'Ci, which drive the parts being,` substantially as described, Wherepropeller-blades, and a eliambered disk, B, by .the blades are maintained in their proper whiehincloses all ofthe gear-wheels, substenpositions with reference to the path of the 15 tially as and for the purpose set forth. Vessel, as set forth.

5 2. In e submerged wheel for propelling ves- In testimony whereof l affix my signature in sels, the combination of a central rotating the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. shaft, A, fixed geanwheel (l, four intermedl- ALFRED CLOUGHLY,

ate revolving Wheels, E E 'E E, blade-propel* ling Wheels C2, C3, C, and C?, the propellingzo blades B, revolving upon fixed shafts, and the 1Witnesses:

shafts D, which form bearings for the entire A. RUPPERT,

length of the blades, the arrangement of the G. XV. BALLOCH.

Breen-toi' of Truman A. 0007:, deceased. 

